Posts Tagged ‘Gene Simmons’

KISS

O2 Academy, Islington LONDON

MARCH 2 2010

REVIEW BY MARKO SYRJÄLÄ

KISS treated their fans and VIP/media –people with very special one off club show in London Islinghton’s O2 Academy. This was a historical show in many ways, or should we say “Kisstorical”, because this was their smallest gig in 22 years. It was back in 1988 when KISS last time played such a club show in Marquee Club in London in front of just few hundred people. The purpose of this show was to help promote bands upcoming SONIC BOOM OVER EUROPE –tour.

ACE FREHLEY

INTERVIEW AND LIVE PICTURES BY MARKO SYRJÄLÄ

Ace Frehley is best known as an original member and lead guitarist for KISS. In the early days of KISS, Ace created his Spaceman persona including the famous Spaceman makeup. Ace also designed the original KISS logo and later on he created his unique stage theatrics like the smoking guitar and another guitar with a rocket launcher that shoots rockets. Ace started his musical career in the late 60’s and played with such bands as Four Roses, The Exterminators and Milemo before joining KISS in 1973. Kiss became one of the most successful bands in the 70’s. Albums like: ALIVE! , DESTROYER. ROCK AND ROLL OVER and LOVE GUN sold millions of copies worldwide and became instant classics.

Ace departed with KISS in 1982 and soon after he formed his new band called Frehley’s Comet. This band released its self titled debut in 1987 followed by LIVE + 1 EP and SECOND SIGHTNING in 1988. Ace decided to drop the Frehley’s Comet moniker and issued 1989’s TROUBLE WALKIN’ under his own name. The KISS reunion took place in 1996. The original lineup: Ace, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss announced The Alive/Worldwide tour which became one of the most successful tours ever in rock history. The reunited KISS issued its new studio album PSYCHO CIRCUS in 1998 followed by another world tour. In year 2000 band announced its “Farewell” tour and Ace did his last KISS performance in the closing ceremony of the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Ace returned to the limelight with his new solo band in 2007. The new band: Ace, Anthony Esposito (ex–Lynch Mob), Scott Googan (Ex-Brides of Destruction) and Derrek Hawkins started touring in late 2007. The new Ace Frehley album ANOMALY was released in September of 2009 and Ace announced another world tour to support his latest release. Ace and his band arrived in Finland in early December 2009 to play a sold out show in Helsinki and then I had a chance to sit down with the Spaceman himself and discuss ANOMALY and various other subjects. Hope you like it!

BRUCE KULICK

Bruce Kulick will always be best known for his long career as lead guitarist for rock icons KISS. Bruce replaced his short lived predecessor Mark. St John in 1984 and during the next twelve years he did several tours with them and recorded six studio albums including: ASYLUM, CRAZY NIGHTS, HOT IN THE SHADE, REVENGE and CARNIVAL OF SOULS. When KISS surprisingly decided to re-unite the original line up in 1996 it meant that Bruce’s (and Eric Singer’s) days were then over with KISS. Bruce then formed a brand new band called UNION with former Mötley Crue/Scream vocalist John Corabi. The band released two highly acclaimed studio albums UNION in 1998 and then BLUE ROOM in 2000 before they slowly disbanded. Bruce created another project in 1999 with John, bassist Karl Kochran and his former KISS colleague Eric Singer. The project was simply called ESP (Eric Singer Project) and that line up released the covers only album called LOST AND SPACED later the same year. In 2001 Bruce decided to join legendary American band Grand Funk Railroad and has been touring with them since then. Bruce’s first solo album AUDIODOG was also released in 2001 and it included Brent Fitz (UNION) playing drums on the whole album. The second solo album TRANSFORMER was released in 2003 and it included again Brent Fitz and John Corabi doing some vocals. At the moment Bruce is working hard on his third solo album which will be titled BK3. He’s also involved with a new project called Monster Circus. Grand Funk Railroad is doing another tour in the summer and in addition to all that Bruce is appearing at a great number of KISS EXPO’s and guitar clinics all around the world. Bruce was kind enough to give some time to us after returning home from the highly successful ESP European tour.

PAUL STANLEY

INTERVIEW AND PICTURES BY MARKO SYRJÄLÄ

TRANSCRIPTION BY JARNO HUOVILA

After a long last Gene “Demon” Simmons and Paul “StarChild” Stanley, the two remaining pillars of the institution that KISS has become, have finally been lured away from their extra-curricular activities (ranging from “reality” television to art galleries and musicals). Along with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, stand-ins for the legendary “Space” Ace Frehley and “Catman” Peter Criss respectively, they’re now ready to rock the nations once more. With the first leg of the KISS ALIVE 35 -tour in the South Pacific now behind them, next in turn will be the old world, Europe. Paul Stanley was kind enough to shine some light on matters still laying ahead for Kiss and some that, for many, should perhaps remain buried in the past. Even with 35 years worth of history, when it comes to kicking ass live, KISS still have their sights set on the future. Rock on.

KISS

Live at F1 Grand Prix, Melbourne

16.03 2008

AUSTRALIA

A large proportion of about 100 000 F1 Grand Prix fans stayed to the see American rock legends in full costumes in action. It was hard to pinpoint exact numbers but it was later announced that more than 10 000 people upgraded their standard F1 tickets for “KISS pole position” passes which gave closer access to the stage. The Melbourne show was the first stop on the bands 35th anniversary ALIVE 35 -world tour and it was definitely a good place to start. Australians have always been big KISS fans and the band still has a huge following there. What also made this show very special is the fact that this was the bands first outdoor concert in Australia since their very first tour there in 1980.

Legendary drummer Eric Singer first rose to fame playing drums on Lita Ford’s DANCIN’ ON THE EDGE tour back in 1984. Subsequently he joined up with Tony Iommi and played on two classic Black Sabbath albums, SEVENTH STAR in 1986 and THE ETERNAL IDOL the following year. Thereupon he toured the world with Gary Moore before reuniting with his old Black Sabbath colleague Ray Gillen in Badlands. In quick succession he hooked up with Alice Cooper for some touring before stepping in to replace the ailing Eric Carr in KISS and proceeding to record the classic REVENGE album in 1992 and the follow up CARNIVAL OF SOULS in 1997 as well as the live albums ALIVE III in 1993 and MTV UNPLUGGED in 1996. More recently he has, in addition to touring with both KISS and Alice Cooper, appeared on Alice’s BRUTAL PLANET album in 2000 and THE EYES OF ALICE COOPER album in 2003. He has also toured and put out albums with ESP (Eric Singer Project) and worked with Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia, Gilby Clarke and that’s not all… read all about it in this forthright interview.